JUSTIFIED: Fugitive Number One | Season 6 Episode 11 Recap

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The search for Ava Crowder is officially underway, as is the final stretch of the JUSTIFIED podcast here on Post Show Recaps!

Josh Wigler (@roundhoward) and Antonio Mazzaro (@acmazzaro) talk about the third-to-last episode of JUSTIFIED ever, called “Fugitive Number One.” Is this the best episode of the entire series? One of our hosts suggests that idea, and you’ll find out why! Best episode or not, it certainly rocked, what with a certain scene in Wynn Duffy’s trailer, Boyd Crowder’s brief stay at the hospital, and a whole lot of vintage Raylan Givens.

Let us know your thoughts on the latest JUSTIFIED episode and podcast in the comments below, on Twitter, or by contacting us through our feedback form.

Justified returns with the 6th and final season Jan 20th on FX.[/caption]

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Josh Wigler is an entertainment journalist who covers Survivor, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and other popular TV shows for The Hollywood Reporter. He's the co-author of The Evolution of Strategy, creator of First One Out, host of Post Show Recaps and The Wiggle Room, and occasional Wanda Shirk impersonator.
He once interviewed Kermit the Frog about The Avengers and The Hunger Games, and hung out with Daryl Dixon and Ted the teddy bear during New Year's... so, you know, he's kind of a big deal. Follow Josh on Twitter @roundhoward.

Antonio Mazzaro is a Kentuckian, Lawyer, and Radio/TV/Film graduate of Northern Kentucky University--but he would love it if you didn't hold any of those things against him. Antonio's covered shows including Breaking Bad for Post Show Recaps, and Jack Benny, My Morning Jacket, and the Cincinnati Bearcats are a few of his favorite things. The TV character he would most like to emulate is his hero, Mr. Rogers. Follow Antonio on Twitter: @acmazzaro.

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This episode was fantastic. So many unexpected turns. Avery has lost everything that mattered when he came to Kentucky just like everyone else who rolls into Harlan.

Tired of Boone chewing up the scenery with Loretta and Raylan. He’s over the top creepy.

Completely over my infatuation with the psychopath Boyd. Earlier this season I was wondering what really drives him. I thought maybe it was Ava, but it was only money. Fantastic actor and character, but I don’t care if he leaves Harlan alive and I used to desperately want him to make it.

Loretta. She better make it as she’s the only possible future for Harlan County.

Ava, how much did she know about Zachariah’s plan?

Raylan, his impetuous need to start action resulted in the place we are now. He underestimated Boyd.

Art back in action. My death pool still has his name in it. I just don’t see the writers giving him a happy retirement.

So, now we know that loyalty and a code will govern the behavior of the players the next two episodes. Who else will die protecting someone they either care about or need to protect because of their internal code of ethics?

ps. Can someone shoot Vasquez?

Josh Wigler

I would love for someone to shoot Vasquez, both because he’s acting like a jackass, and also because it benefits my death draft.

Antonio Mazzaro

As a KY resident, and one who has spent a fair amount of time lobbying for the future of Harlan and other EKY counties, I can say that for Loretta–the future of Harlan–getting killed would be perfectly poetic and sadly on point.

I am not “over” Boyd. Psychopathic, maybe, in some ways. But more than anything, I think he’s guilty of dreaming beyond his station. Of being the kind of mole who pops his head above ground instead of staying in the mines. Those moles usually get whacked.

Brendan Fitzpatrick

For, agreeably, one of the BEST episodes of the series, and probably the 2nd best one of the season in my opinion (Behind Burned), I actually don’t have a lot to say about the episode itself. It was well paced, and god, RIP Mikey. I ship MYNN so much after tonight, they were definitely love birds. I agree with Antonio about Boon, i’m pretty much done with that dude, he’s had the same scene 3 times, he’s just spinning wheels until the finale, which is kind of lame. I’m excited that Art is back in the saddle as Chief for the end game. I’m actually working the night of the finale on the 14th, so I won’t be watching live. I couldn’t get out of it, but I tried.

Josh Wigler

Justified Boon versus Lost Boone. Go.

Brendan Fitzpatrick

HMMM…Justified Boon certainly wins a fight, and a “battle of wits”, but Boone Carlislye has the looks, and the entusiasm/charm to get people to like him, rather than want to shoot him in the face. Boone also loved his own sister, which should be a very Justified thing, being set in Kentucky, and all, which I don’t think Boon Hat (since we don’t know his last name, he’ll be “Hat”) would do.

Brendan Fitzpatrick

Ooooh, what if Boon Hat dies in a plane crash, that would be ironic.

susan appleby

When it comes to my tv entertainment, I admit I’m shallow. I vote for the hot guy. (That would be the bottom photo.) Better character in Lost. Boon in justified only has one note. It would have been great if he played against type and was incredibly polite when dining out. Maybe even a big tipper.

Antonio Mazzaro

Thank you for clarifying which one the hot guy was Susan. I was confused. 🙂

Can we please get the season finally podcast in all Arnold voice? PLEASE!!!!!

Martin Hess

Come on Josh. Bad circumstances are what makes or breaks you. While many of Ava’s problems are directly or indirectly Boyd’s fault, she has benefitted from his criminal enterpreneurship and his loyalty to her.

When things were good, she had no qualms about his vileness. But as soon as things turned sour, she fucked him over without a second thought. First by snitching on him, then by robbing, shooting (!) and letting him be arrested.
When he found out about the snitching, he went out of his way not to kill her. A feat unimaginable had he not loved her deeply. He forgave her. He killed Dewey (a friend) for being inconvenient for god’s sake.

Stop expecting Boyd to wish someone, who utterly broke his heart, to live on merrily with “his” money.The fact that she is probably running away with Uncle Zach, who had also attempted to kill him, is just a cherry on top of this mountain sized pile of unjustice.

Your weird admiration of older women aside, how does Ava deserve any respite or respect from Boyd or the audience?

Antonio Mazzaro

“Your weird admiration of older women aside”

You can’t put that aside! You have to undo that before proceeding!

🙂

Seriously though, I will say I think a lot of people’s complaints about Ava’s S5 storyline is that they had to show things not only just turning sour, but putting her in a position where she was ready to turn on him. They could have flipped her without sending her all the way upstream if she was up for it. It didn’t occur to the marshals to try it until she was well and truly lost, and it only worked at that point because Boyd had back burnered her for sure. I think until she shot him Boyd thought that she deserved respite because he did blame himself for letting her get wayward, but he never totally trusted her. Now that she’s shot him, all bets are off there.

As for from the audience, I do think Uncle Zachariah’s presence and reason for being reminds us that Ava is a victim of abuse from Bowman at her core. Raylan is the road not traveled for her. Had he stuck around, it might have gone differently for her, but as it stands she was beaten into regular submission by Bowman. That treatment doesn’t excuse her actions, but it does inform and explain them, and perhaps does put her in a position of sympathy.

Yes, she chose to remain with Boyd, but I’m not sure we can’t chalk a lot of that up to where she was emotionally and psychologically coming in. This is a woman who was vehemently against the whoring business who chose to take it over. Her actions haven’t always made sense, and at her core the easiest way to explain some of this is “well, she’s really messed up” and that goes back to Bowman.

In some ways, I think that is one of the reasons for the repeat mentions of her high school looks, charm, reputation, etc., as well as the what might have been convos she’s had with Raylan. We’re supposed to be thinking about Ava Randolph and who she could have been before she ended up on a road that put her in such a horrible place.

Martin Hess

It is true, I didn’t give Ava enough credit. It took a lot for her to flip. But we also saw how Boyd was doing his best to help her (trying to get protection from the nazis, even running heroin to get money for influence, etc.). Granted, from her point of view it probably wasn’t all that impressive, since none of it actually did help her.

So her first betrayal may well have been understandable. But the second time, she had the option to warn Boyd/take out Raylan herself (would’ve been difficult). She could’ve driven off into the sunrise with him and the money. Yet she chose to shoot him and drive away alone. And as one of you said, if it were anybody else, Raylan would’ve stopped them. And she knew it too.

She has received sympathy from everyone, the law and their grandmother for being beaten by Bowman. She was not tried for murder. Eventhough it was a premeditated, cold-blooded crime. I just don’t see anybody but a pretty woman getting away with it so easily.

She chose to marry a man who turned violent. Then she killed him and eventually married his brother who adored her. And then tried to kill him too. She is very psychologically and emotionally unhinged and I pity the next man she crosses.

HOWEVER, I still think she is a great TV character. I respect her ability to exploit the circumstances to get most out of them. She just puts herself first. Compared to other TV show protagonists wives, she is a bright star.